


You're a Serial Killer, Nico

by seokjinvilla



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, M/M, Serial Killers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:35:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25269946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seokjinvilla/pseuds/seokjinvilla
Summary: Olympus City is getting ready for a senate election, Will's busy writing his debut novel, and Jason thinks it’s time for Nico to get back in the dating scene. The problem? There’s a serial killer on the loose, but nobody knows that it's Nico.Slow updates. Temporary title.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Solangelo - Relationship
Comments: 41
Kudos: 111





	1. The OCPD Confirms Bryce Lawrence's Death

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off that one Tumblr post (https://laziestofthedreamers.tumblr.com/post/178774374352/vmohlere-tigerliliesandcherryblossoms). 
> 
> Disclaimer: All my knowledge about police departments/forensics comes from TV shows.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason forces Nico to sign up for a dating app, Bryce Lawrence turns up dead, and the ghost of Olympus City's past returns.

“I thought we agreed that if I go to Percy’s party, you wouldn’t bother me,” Nico said. 

“Sorry, I just needed to do something,” Jason said. 

“With my phone?” Nico asked, annoyed, as Jason fiddled with Nico’s phone. 

“Yeah. How else am I supposed to get you on a dating app?” 

“I’m sorry, you what now?” Nico asked, grabbing his phone back from Jason. He blinked at the screen, tired from staying up all night, working on a personal project. 

“I signed you up for this dating service. Look, it’s been years since you’ve put yourself out there and I think it’s time for you to try again. Not every guy is going to be like Percy,” Jason said.

“And you couldn’t have just, I don’t know, told me this? You just had to download a suspicious app and make a profile on my behalf, which, by the way, I do not appreciate, I mean ‘loves animals, cuddling, and poetry,’ seriously, Grace?” Nico scowled, furiously pressing the delete button on his phone. He deleted the bio and replaced the nickname Jason had inputted with something more fitting, more mysterious, more Nico as opposed to Neeks: the son of Hades. 

Jason raised his eyebrow. “Nico, you said that the last time and then you didn’t even try. This is just a precautionary measure to make sure you keep your side of the bargain. Hazel and Frank’s wedding is coming up and I can’t let you go alone like you did at Percy’s and Annabeth’s wedding. You’re finding a date one way or another. And, the son of Hades? Seriously? No one has called you that for years,” Jason said, looking over Nico’s shoulder. 

“Do you want me to agree to your stupid dating app or not, Grace?” 

“Okay, okay. As long as you do your part, I guess it doesn’t matter if you call yourself the son of Hades,” Jason said, putting his hands up as a sign of defeat. He then said something under his breath that sounded a lot like: “I still think Neeks is better...” 

“Okay. I’ll think about it,” Nico said, ignoring that last comment as he turned away from Jason and attempted to make a beeline for the exit. 

“Dude!” Jason exclaimed, grabbing the attention of nearby costumers in the coffee shop. “You said you would if I let the son of Hades thing slide! You can’t back out now!”

“It’s just... I don’t know if this is a good idea. Things have been really chaotic with work lately...” Nico said, faltering when Jason started to give him the puppy eyes.

“That’s exactly why you should do this. Instead of being pestered with work all day, you can finally force yourself to carve out time in your oh-so-busy schedule to make yourself happy and relax with a boyfriend.” 

“Fine,” Nico sighed. It wasn’t the first time that Jason decided his life needed meddling and it definitely wouldn’t be the last. How bad could it be? 

“Now, will you please press the sync button?”

“The what?” Nico frowned, starring at the green oval shaped button smack in the middle of his phone screen. “Why do I have to sync my phone to the app?”

“Because that’s how the app works. It matches people based on their search history.” 

“Are you sure about this?” Nico paled, feeling a tug of panic. And then he felt stupid about feeling scared. 

“Yes! If you’re having second thoughts, might I remind you that this is the exact app where I found Piper and that worked out perfectly. Besides, you need a date by December!“

“That’s in four months! Nico protested. “That’s plenty of time!”

“Either way, I need you to get laid so you stop being a miserable pain in my ass!” Nico punched Jason in the shoulder. 

“I’m the pain in the ass? Are you fucking kidding me?” Nico said as Jason just shushed him and pointed at the phone. 

Reluctantly, Nico pressed the button. A small progress bar popped up under the sync button. Over the course of the next few minutes, the bar slowly filled up with a more opaque shade of green than the sync button. When the app was done computing Nico’s search history, the screen blinked and said: CONGRATULATIONS! YOUR SEARCH HISTORY IS 98% COMPATIBLE WITH THE FOLLOWING USER. ONLY 0.7% OF OUR USERS HAVE ACHIEVED THIS. 

Nico frowned. 98%? With his search history? That didn’t sound right... 

Nico tapped the button that read continue and found himself looking at the profile of a writer.

“Did it work?” Jason asked. 

“Yeah. It says someone matched 98% with my search history,” Nico said in an unsure voice.

“98%? Wow,” Jason whistled, “that’s really high. Piper and I got like 73%. Does this someone have a name?” 

“Yeah. Some Will Solace guy. Apparently he’s a writer.” And apparently he was hot as fuck. His profile picture was him lounging on a blue donut tube with sprinkles in the middle of a pristine blue ocean. He was wearing nothing but a pair of swim trunks. His wet hair had fallen on his face. His abs were practically glittering in the sunlight. His smile was so bright and happy and for what? Nico scowled, irritated by the skeletal butterflies in his stomach and the heat in his cheeks. 

“Okay, but more importantly... is he hot?” Nico was convinced Jason could read his mind.

“Jason! You can’t just ask that! We’re in the middle of a coffee shop!” Nico hissed. If Nico thought his face couldn’t get any redder, he was wrong. 

“I’m being serious here, Nico! This is important. Is he?” Jason laughed.

“None of your business.” 

“So he is.” 

“Fuck off.” Nico looked away until his phone chimed as a notification popped up, with Will Solace’s name all over it. 

“Looks like my work here is done,” Jason said, grinning ear to ear. He picked up his long abandoned coffee from the table and turned away from Nico, making his way towards the exit. 

“Get back here, Grace!” Nico called after him. 

“Nope.” Jason flipped him off. “See you at work!”

Nico hung his head in defeat and pressed the notification. If he said he wasn’t even the least bit curious about how he could match with a guy this hot with that search history of his, he would be lying. Even if he didn’t lie, the word curious was an understatement for what Nico felt. 

The message wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. It was a simple hello. And yet, Nico was panicking, falling into a pattern of thinking, typing, overthinking, deleting, thinking, typing and so on. 

For better or for worse, Nico realized he had left Will on read for almost four minutes. Sucking in his breath, Nico pressed send and turned off his phone. It was too early for this. He could groan about the pathetic ‘hi’ he sent after he drank his coffee. No, scratch that, he could deal with it after work. Work first, combust while trying to talk to a cute boy later. With his coffee in his hand, he made his way out of the coffee shop.

On the way, Nico downed his coffee, occasionally wincing at the cold bitter taste that had settled thanks to Jason harassing him for twenty minutes straight. 

Despite being tired and just a lazy person in general, Nico made it to the Olympus City Police Department in record time. 

“You’re here at eight in the morning? Not only are you on time, you’re even early. You’re never early. Am I dreaming?” Frank asked the moment Nico walked through the front door. 

“It’s Jason’s fault. He dragged me out to get coffee and lured me into another one of his stupid plans.” They both winced. Jason was known for his bad plans. If anyone needed a crazy idea or solution to any problem, Jason was their guy. 

“Yikes. I don’t even want to know,” Frank said sympathetically as the pair separated. Frank walked towards the chief of police’s office and Nico made his way to the office labelled MEDICAL EXAMINER DI ANGELO, if you could call it an office.

As he walked in, Nico hung his coat on the coat rack by the door. With no new assignment, Nico walked over to the back corner of the room and slumped into the tattered leather armchair. He fiddled with the loose stringy ends of the arm rest, thinking about the meeting that Frank had just walked into. No doubt it was about Bryce Lawrence. 

Bryce Lawrence was Nico’s best piece of work so far. Maybe it was because Bryce decided to spend the night alone and the fact that he was an idiot, but whatever it was, god bless it. Never before did Nico have the liberty to work on his art without the constraint of time holding him back and rushing him. 

Smiling, Nico threw his head back. 

He was just getting started. 

—

“Early this morning, while doing her cleaning rounds, a maid found Bryce Lawrence dead in his room,” Reyna, the chief of police, said, pacing behind her desk with her hands pressed against her hips, pushing her purple blazer back. 

“Wait? The Bryce Lawrence?” Frank asked. 

“The billionaire?” Jason added. 

“Yes. He was known for his political association with Gaea, a primary candidate in the senate election. If this is a murder, it is imperative that we put a stop to it as soon as possible. That’s why I want you two to lead the case,” Reyna said, gesturing towards Frank and Jason. “I need my best detectives on the job. Your assignment is to go to the crime scene, investigate Bryce Lawrence’s murder, and report back to me. Do not act impulsively on a lead without informing me. Hazel is already there. You are dismissed.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.

—

“So, what have you found so far?” Jason asked, slipping on a pair of latex gloves. 

Hazel frowned. “You’re not going to like it.” 

Frank groaned beside Jason. “What is it?” Jason asked, running his fingers along a shelf. 

Hazel pointed at the chalk markings that traced out Bryce Lawrence’s position on the wooden floor and then slowly trailed her fingers along, gesturing at small dots of blood that led to an empty wall. “I thought it was weird that there were tiny specks of blood between the wall and Bryce, because he was stabbed, multiple times. If he walked over from the wall to this position, there would’ve been more blood and it wouldn’t have been in such an orderly fashion.” 

“So, you’re saying someone wanted to make it look like he walked over here?” Frank guessed. 

Hazel shook her head. “While I think that someone made this trail on purpose, I thought it was for a different reason. Something to do with the wall.” 

“There’s nothing on the wall though,” Jason said, smoothing over the wall with the palm of his hand only to find that no residue stuck to his gloves. 

Hazel rolled her eyes. “This is why Reyna got promoted and you didn’t. I suspected that maybe the culprit was working with a paint, specifically a more concealed and hidden paint. So, I ran the tests and there was definitely traces of black light fluorescent paint, which is a luminous paint that has certain pigments that only reveal the paint when there is ultraviolet light available.” 

“You think they left a message?” Jason and Frank exchanged looks. 

Hazel nodded and picked up a device, presumably one that gives off ultraviolet light, pressed a button, and turned off the light switch on the wall. In place of the barren white wall, there was a skull painted in a bright royal blue color. Surrounding it was a chaotic swarm of “HA”’s in various colors, spanning all across the rainbow. Above the skull, the words WELCOME TO LEVEL 2 were painted. Below the skull, the words THE GHOST KING were signed in a signature that the trio knew all too well. 

“You have got to be shitting me,” Jason said. 

“I told you that you weren’t going to like it,” Hazel reminded him. 

“There goes all my day offs,” Frank groaned. 

“We better go tell Reyna,” Jason sighed. 

—

“He’s what?” Reyna asked, crushing the piece of paper in her fist. 

Jason winced. “The Ghost King’s back. Which is both good and bad. It’s good because we know how he thinks. He always has an agenda.” 

“And it’s bad because he’s always one step ahead of us. We’re never going to catch him,” Reyna said exasperated, throwing herself at her chair. 

“Reyna—“

“I’m fine,” Reyna stood up, waving him off with the flick of her wrist. “We’re not letting him get away with this like last time. We cannot have a repeat of the last senate election with Kronos. You should go consult with Nico and see if he’s found anything useful.” 

“Yes, captain,” Jason nodded. He closed the door behind him as he left Reyna’s office. 

Unable to put his thoughts into words, Jason miserably walked over to the medical examiner’s office where Frank was waiting for him and Nico was hunched over Bryce Lawrence’s dead body, wearing a white lab coat and a pair of retro goggles as he held nothing but a scalpel in his glove covered hands that he was using to dissect his latest assignment. 

“Anything?” Jason asked, looking at Nico, who was internally fighting the urge to smile at his handiwork. In his defense, it’s not everyday that you get to admire a foolproof murder of your own doing.

“It’s honestly a really clean murder. There are traces of flunitrazepam in his digestive system—“ 

“Of what?” Frank asked, looking puzzled. 

“It’s a benzodiazepine. Y’know from the class of tranquilizers.” Nico rolled his eyes as Frank blinked. “Most commonly known as rohypnol or roofie. Honestly, Frank, shouldn’t you know this by now?” 

Frank’s face reddened. “Sorry… go on,” he said sheepishly. 

“Right. So obviously, whoever did this got him high off rohypnol and then stabbed him about five, six times.” It was seven, but changing a few details wouldn’t hurt anyone. Well, not anyone important, that is. 

“But it doesn’t make sense. How could someone have drugged him? He was home alone all night,” Frank frowned. 

“Maybe the maid did it. I mean, she was the one to find him,” Nico said, shrugging. 

“Yeah, right. A maid? As the Ghost King? No way,” Jason said. 

“The Ghost King? Him again?” Nico asked as the corners of his lips quirked up slightly. 

Frank nodded. “I thought we’d seen the last of that guy when he killed Senator candidate Kronos, but apparently not. We found his signature at the crime scene. Only this time, instead of being a normal serial killer and painting it on the wall with red paint or blood, he used fluorescent paint. I mean, who does that? It’s like he thinks this is some kind of game.” 

Jason hung his head and shoved his hands into his pocket. “He probably does, but that’s not important right now. Can you tell us about the knife, Nico?” 

Nico sighed. “It’s the size of a standard chef’s knife. The blade is about eight inches tall, the width of the heel is around two inches, and the thickness is approximately one eighth of an inch. There’s a possibility that it could be the same knife he used before, but I’ll run it through the database along with the rohypnol anyway.” 

“Thanks, Nico,” Frank said as the pair made their way to the door.

“Oh, hey. Before I forget, this is your final reminder to come to Percy’s party tonight,” Jason said, looking at Nico, as his hand rested on the doorknob. 

Frank looked frustrated. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea? Now that the Ghost King’s back, Reyna’s never going to let us off the hook and I kind of need to be on her good side if I want to have enough time to finish planning my wedding.” 

“That’s exactly why we’re still going: so we can relax and try to forget about this Ghost King guy for one night. Besides, Reyna can’t punish you if she’s going too,” Jason countered. 

Nico raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think I’m going to go after that stunt you pulled this morning?” 

Jason rolled his eyes. “No, I think you’re going to come because it’s Percy’s birthday.” 

Nico scowled. “Fuck you, Grace.” 

Jason: 2. Nico: 0. 

—

The party started off on a serious tone, targeting everyone’s least favorite subject: the Ghost King. Although they didn’t know it, this made Nico the center of attention. He didn’t exactly hate it; while the moniker, the Ghost King, was popular, it represented anonymity while still taking responsibility for his actions. Besides, what better way to get first hand feedback about the Ghost King’s reputation than to hear it from your own friends?

“I can’t believe he’s back,” Annabeth said as Percy pulled her into his lap on the couch. 

“I wonder why he ever left if he wasn’t done,” Leo said.

“Yeah. Why did he pick now to come back?” Percy asked. 

“I don’t know, but I think he’s just getting started. The whole level two thing does not sound welcoming or good at all,” Jason said, taking a sip of his drink. 

“We know he has a plan. We’ll need to assess the situation in depth and discuss other potential victims tomorrow,” Reyna reasoned. 

Frank groaned. “Do we really have to talk about this right now? I’m a detective, I literally talk about him all day and I’d really like a break. Like you said, the Ghost King is a tomorrow problem.” Hazel put her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it in a supporting manner. 

“Frank’s right. This party is in Percy’s honor, not the Ghost King’s,” Piper said, setting a bowl of chips on the coffee table, before finding a seat next to Jason. 

“Well, then what are we waiting for? Let’s get this party started!” Leo shouted, turning up the volume of the music on the speakers as everyone broke into laughs, criticizing Leo’s chaotic taste in music and awful dancing skills. 

Nico groaned internally. This was going to be a long night. 

—

Nico spent the majority of the party trying to avoid his friends at his favorite getaway sport in Percy’s house: the fire escape. From here, he could still hear his friends laughing and music blaring, but somehow, it felt distant. Maybe it was because the wind was whistling in a cool gentle breeze under the moon, so hypnotic that Nico couldn’t help but zone out the noise of the party. 

He leaned against the railing, staring at the light radiating off skyscrapers. Looking below the fire escape, he could see the bright orange color of taxis running across the street under his feet as the breeze touched his skin, throwing his hair onto the front of his face. 

He thought about all the memories he had associated with this view. The first time he saw the city. The first time that he first saw where Percy lived. The first time he mustered up the courage to climb up to Percy’s fire escape in hopes to tell the older about some stupid idea he had only to find out that it was Percy’s birthday and end up eating some of the infamous blue birthday cake. 

While thoughts about Percy usually annoyed Nico and even pissed him off at times, he thought about his feelings for Percy. They had existed for a long time, a product of Nico’s childhood when he was nothing but a mere kid who was young and impressionable. Percy was strong, fearless, and a leader who was worthy of Nico’s feelings, but the problem was that he would never return Nico’s feelings or be able to understand the hardships of Nico’s life. And, oddly enough, because of that, Nico felt that liking Percy was easy and safe, because their relationship dynamics was never going to change and Nico didn’t have to worry about losing him or impressing him. 

But like all good things, it was coming to an end. 

Despite feeling bitter that this meant he was admitting defeat to Jason, Nico pulled out his phone and turned it on. In his notifications bar, he had a few unread messages from Will Solace. He struggled to come up with a response for a couple of minutes. What if he said something stupid? When he finally figured out the perfect response, he pressed send and allowed himself to genuinely smile for the first time in a while. 

He deserved to find someone who would love him the way he loved Percy. 

Even if he was a serial killer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) The chapter titles are the headlines of Olympus City’s newspapers, highlighting the most noteworthy event/story of the day.
> 
> 2) The setting of this story is a made up city/town called Olympus City and because of that, Percy grew up in Olympus City since New York doesn't exist.
> 
> 3) OCPD = Olympus City Police Department.
> 
> 4) Sorry that there is a heavy focus on the plot (we see what's going on in the OCPD with Reyna, Frank, Jason, & Hazel) and "side" characters (Jason, Frank, Reyna, etc) instead of Will/Nico. When I was planning/writing this, I had this huge focus on the world-building because I didn't want it to seem half-assed and not thought out, but that led to an increased emphasis on the serial killer and murder of Bryce Lawrence issue instead of diving into Nico/Will's relationships with the serial killer and writer dynamics, which should have made for a more comedic story rather than this serious story. (Personally, I think it's interesting to see the difference in what Reyna/Frank/Jason think vs Will vs Nico, so that'll be fun to explore.) Future chapters will definitely have more Will and expand on Nico/Will.


	2. The Titanomachy Killer Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico and Will get to know each other. Reyna, Frank, and Jason discuss Bryce Lawrence's death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I've had this chapter written for a while, but I held back from posting because I don't like it. I don't have pride in the way I set up Nico/Will's relationship, but I didn't know how to fix/improve it, so I thought why not just post it? (Yes, we finally get to meet our favorite son of Apollo!)
> 
> Sorry in advance if this comes off as a filler chapter (I honestly think every chapter I write is boring, please send help, I don't know how to write). It's because I'm struggling to balance the focus on Will, Nico, and the detectives. Not to mention the fact that instead of taking a comical approach to this prompt, I ended up becoming way too invested in the plot/backstory (as you will see in this chapter), so now it's more serious and plot-oriented rather than character-oriented (oops), but hopefully the rest of this will pan out better than this particular chapter.

Will flinched as Lou Ellen’s bag plopped down on the table, pulling him away from his thoughts. Allowing his fingers to abandon his laptop’s keyboard, he turned to her, whipping around in his task desk. “Do you mind? I’m trying to write a book here.”

Lou Ellen rolled her eyes. “Oh please, you’ve been working on it for the past two years and you’re not even halfway done. At this point, you can’t blame anyone besides your easily distracted self.” She pulled out a small tube of lip gloss from her purse and hastingly applied it.

“I know, I know. I just feel like one of these days, I’m going to find the inspiration I need.”

“If you say so,” she said without missing a beat, picking up her purse. “But either way, I’ve got to get going. Have fun writing… I think?”

“Where are you going?” Will asked, shoving an Oreo from the tray beside his laptop into his mouth.

“Olympus City Police Department,” Lou Ellen said in a “duh” tone, as if it was the most obvious thing ever. She turned towards the door.

Will frowned. “For what?” Usually, Will got his news from Lou Ellen, which was fitting seeing how she was a reporter for Olympus Times, but lately, Will had been too occupied with his writing to pay attention. He and Lou Ellen had more similarities than differences, but sometimes, the differences outweighed the similarities in terms of impact and relevance. In this case, the difference between the pair was their choice of career. Careers tended to be the defining factor for clashing lifestyles. As a reporter, Lou Ellen’s life revolved around news, gossip, and the latest information that was buzzing from citizen to citizen. She preferred to be in the action, being the literal embodiment of a know-it-all. And Will? Will devoted his life to writing. Sure, he didn’t too much or too often, but he was the type to spend hours upon hours researching a subject and becoming an expert in said subject just to write a mere line in his novel. He didn’t care for a “modern” lifestyle with parties, drama, or change. He mostly just wanted to stay home, put the main character of his novel through another traumatic experience, and eat oreos.

“You know what? Don’t worry about it, I’ll tell you later. I’m really late. Bye, Will!” Lou Ellen called as she walked out of the building. She shut the door close behind her before Will got a chance to process what she said and respond with a coherent sentence.

It was in times like this that Will wished he had more similarities than differences. He didn’t enjoy feeling out of place, like the world was moving too fast for him. These were the times that Will wished he was less complacent and more confident to be like Lou Ellen and utilize chaotic reporter “tactics” or be like Cecil and dare to attempt reckless schemes. Maybe if Will was willing to welcome change for well, a change, then maybe Will’s life would parallel the adventurous and suspense filled thrillers he loved to write.

Sighing, Will spun around in his task desk once again and resumed his original position: being face to face with his laptop as the word document with almost forty thousand words stared at him, piercing into his soul. Feeling intimidated and called out, Will gently closed the laptop.

He picked up his phone from the table, entering his thumbprint with one hand as he grabbed an Oreo with the other. He opened the messaging app and let his finger hover above Nico di Angelo’s contact.

When Will first got the notification saying the app had found him a 98% match, he didn’t believe it. For one, it just felt too good to be true that two people could be that similar. For two, it wasn’t like Will had a normal search history. Despite the fact that the word count in his novel’s word document barely changes over the course of a day, the contents of Will’s searches were completely dependent on the topics he tackled in his novel. Will’s other best friend, Cecil, had been the one to introduce Will to that particular dating app and Will just wasn't so sure if he could trust Cecil, who was known for his pranks, but that all changed when he saw Nico di Angelo’s picture.

The medical examiner was drop dead gorgeous. He was wearing a traditional black and white suit, smiling at someone or something beyond the frames of the picture. The smile suited him, bringing out the defined curves of his cheek bones. It gave him the ability to have duality, painting him as the textbook definition of both cute and hot. And gods of Olympus, was Will a sucker for men like that.

Will clicked on Nico’s profile and began typing.

Will: Hey [8:55 AM]  
Will: Is it just me or… [8:55 AM]

—

When Nico walked to work, he didn’t expect Will to send him a good morning message. He slowed down his pace, taking his time to read the writer’s message. It wasn’t anything special, but it still made Nico feel a certain type of way because it meant that Will Solace was thinking about Nico di Angelo at nine in the morning.

For the rest of the walk, Nico couldn’t help but to feel jittery, which was odd for his usual self. If anyone asked, he was definitely going to blame the barista for adding way too much caffeine in his coffee.

Fortunately, by the time Nico got to work, the effects of Will Solace, er, the highly caffeinated coffee, had worn off. Unfortunately, so did Nico’s good mood.

Apparently, the OCPD was holding an emergency press conference with local citizens, reporters, and journalists. Reyna was giving a speech about Bryce Lawrence’s death.

He sighed, making his way through the crowd, scanning for Hazel. He found her near the front of the lobby, only a few feet away from Reyna and the detectives. Nico stood next to her and miserably turned his attention to the chief of police. He really didn’t feel like listening to her praise Bryce Lawrence and assure Gaea and her supporters that OCPD was going to defend them from themselves. The only reason Bryce Lawrence was dead was because of the atrocious crimes he committed. It was his fault and his fault alone. He killed himself.

“As you all know, Bryce Lawrence died yesterday. Like you, the citizens of Olympus City, the OCPD is mourning with you. Bryce Lawrence was a commendable citizen who did his duty to this city by donating tens of millions of dollars to various divisions, including the education system. Without him, Olympus City would not be the city that we all know and love. I understand that he was affiliated with candidate Gaea’s party and that while her campaign for senator has been dubbed a controversial movement, the OCPD will stop at nothing to find out who is behind Bryce’s death. I know that the citizens of Olympus City are scared because the circumstances of the situation are far too similar to another incident. That’s right. I am referring to the infamous Titanomachy Killings. As many of you may remember, six years ago, during the last senate election, a series of murders were committed by a serial killer who calls himself the Ghost King. Many of the Ghost King’s victims were known to be politically affiliated with Senator candidate Kronos and endorsed so-called problematic beliefs, many of which advocated hate crimes against specific groups and restricted certain human rights. While Bryce Lawrence has not done anything publicly concerning, his association with Gaea itself can be seen as questionable as Gaea intends to resume the same agenda that Senator candidate Kronos had originally planned before his death. As the chief of police, it is my duty to ensure you, the citizens of Olympus City, that the OCPD has things under control, however, I think that it is also my duty to be honest. For this reason, I regret to inform you that while investigating the crime scene, a message in fluorescent paint was discovered. This message was a confirmation that attested to the fact that yes, the Ghost King is back. Unfortunately, that is all the information we have at this time, but rest assured that this situation is of the OCPD’s utmost importance. I will lead this case myself, with detective Grace and detective Zhang at my side. All officers will be dispatched and no expense will be spared. I will do everything in my power to make sure that this does not affect the upcoming election. The OCPD will not be taking questions at this time. I will deliver a follow-up speech if necessary at an appropriate time. That is all. Thank you for your time,” Reyna said, stepping away from the podium, ignoring the questions and comments from the roaring crowd as she walked into her office unbothered.

As the crowd began to clear off, Nico made his way towards his office as Jason and Frank walked into Reyna’s office.

—

Frank threw himself onto one of Reyna’s armchairs. “I don’t get it! We watched through the security footage a dozen times and nothing! There’s no sign of an intruder or anything out of the ordinary. Just Bryce Lawrence enjoying his evening with a bottle of champagne, a box of bonbons, and an old classic movie from the nineties.”

Reyna furrowed her eyebrows. “The champagne was probably laced with rohypnol before Bryce got his hands on it.”

Jason scowled. “Brilliant. He gets his champagne from his cellar and that just so happens to be one of the only places on his property without security cameras. I’m betting the Ghost King knew that too.”

“So, the Ghost King added rohypnol to a bottle of champagne, somehow entered Bryce Lawrence’s property, planted the champagne in his cellar, then Bryce magically picked that exact bottle out of the hundreds of champagne bottles in the cellar, got drugged, and then, again, magically the Ghost King stabbed him multiple times, moved his body, created a trail of blood, and left a message on the wall, all without getting caught on camera?” Frank summarized, incredulously.

“I know that the mere fact that this is all the Ghost King’s doing makes this seem impossible and more intimidating than it is, but that’s all it is: an illusion. We’re never going to figure this out if we’re not confident in our abilities. The Ghost King is a human like us, he doesn’t have any magical powers. We just need to see through his eyes and think like him. If we do that, we’ll have a better chance at figuring him out,” Reyna said.

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s just focus on asking Nico about the results and the list of suspects and motives,” Jason agreed.

“The maid’s definitely a suspect, either jealousy or hatred could’ve been the motive, but she’s definitely not the Ghost King; she moved to the city after the Titanomachy Killings and I doubt she harbors a prolonged vendetta for Bryce Lawrence if she’s worked for him for years,” Reyna said. “Besides, if it was her, she could have easily killed him before election season. Why make it obvious?”

“Because that’s the Ghost King’s whole play: attention,” Jason said, throwing his head back.

“Okay, so obviously whoever did this has a problem with Kronos’ and Gaea’s campaigns and has inside knowledge regarding the layout of Bryce Lawrence’s house. I think it’s safe to assume that this isn’t your average Joe,” Frank said, flipping through Bryce Lawrence’s file. “But who knows? Maybe Octavian did it.”

Jason and Reyna exchanged looks and broke into laughs. Reyna wiped a tear from her eye. “Octavian? Frank, be serious. Why would he kill Bryce Lawrence? Bryce worked for him. And let’s not forget that Octavian is one of Gaea’s biggest supporters. Why would he want to ruin that? Don’t be ridiculous,” Reyna managed to say in between laughs.

“Hey! It could happen! Octavian is crazy and power hungry… I wouldn’t put this past him.” Frank protested.

“But he’s so…” Reyna started.

“...Octavian,” Jason finished.

“Have you two forgotten about his ‘coping mechanism,’” Frank said, making air quotes with his fingers.

“Frank’s got a point. The stabbing teddy bears thing is kind of creepy,” Jason said.

“Or that thing with Percy?” Frank added.

“I admit that Octavian’s kind of weird—” Reyna said.

“Kind of?” Frank said.

“Okay, Octavian’s a full fledged psychopath, but at the end of the day, he’s the same stupid and delusional Octavian and we all know and hate. I’m sure he’s perfectly capable of double crossing Gaea, but betrayal is one thing. There’s no way he could successfully pull off that many murders without a single trace leading back to him. Plus, why would he kill someone who worked for him?” Reyna said.

“Maybe Bryce messed up with something. You know how Octavian gets when things don’t go his way,” Frank said.

“Something like causing Octavian to lose his biggest business deal of the semester?” Jason asked, holding up the newspaper in his hand. It was yesterday’s issue of Olympus Times. Jason gestured to the business section where, sure enough, the main story was about how Bryce Lawrence had made a couple of mistakes regarding mixing up Octavian’s meeting schedules and thus, causing Octavian to miss closing a deal with Apollo Industries. “That deal was worth millions of dollars and was Octavian’s ticket to expanding his company.”

“It doesn’t explain how Octavian could be the Ghost King, but we have to question him since he was Bryce Lawrence’s boss anyway and it’s not like we have a lot of suspects, so we might as well add his name to the list,” Reyna said, jotting his name down on the notepad in her hand.

“Who’s on the list so far?” Frank asked.

“Octavian, Gaea, Tartarus, the maid,” Reyna said.

“We can probably throw a few more of Gaea’s lackeys. In the Titanomachy Killings, the Ghost King killed four people who closely worked for or with Kronos: Luke, Atlas, Circe, Polyphemus,” Jason suggested.

“Well, we better get to it before the funeral next week. You know how Olympus City’s politicians get when they’re mourning. We all remember what happened the first time,” Frank shuddered, pushing away the thoughts of the aftermath of the Titanomachy Killings.

“Frank, I know you’re busy planning your wedding, but is there any way you can work Friday? That way we’ll have more time to work on this case before the funeral,” Reyna said, softer than usual.

Frank sighed. “Nope. Hazel will actually kill me if I cancel again.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it man. I can always get Nico to be my sidekick. I’ve done it before. Works like a charm,” Jason said.

Reyna rolled her eyes. “Nico hates when you do that.”

“I don’t see you suggesting a better idea,” Jason countered.

“Whatever. Get Nico to accompany you to the evidence locations. Frank and I will continue to piece this mystery together,” Reyna said in an authoritative voice.

“Got it.”

—

Nico closed the door behind him as he entered his office. He picked up the stool by the autopsy table and held it above his head as he walked over to his desk. The metal clanged with the floor when he finally put it down.

He opened the laptop on the desk, opening up the main database that the department utilized among other various sites, not that he needed to. He knew exactly where the knife, the rohypnol, and the paint were from. After all, they were all his, but Reyna was very particular about how she wanted her cases to be done and Nico didn’t need her to know that he was the serial killer anyways. Not yet, at least.

Nico searched for all three items and wrote down possible retailers for each. The results were exactly what Nico had anticipated. The knife resulted in one location, but Nico knew that was a dead end, considering the fact that the knife had been a di Angelo family heirloom for years. The rohypnol matched with two drugstores, which were both known for their supposed reputation of selling illegal substances, located at the edge of the city. The only reason that the stores were still in business is because whenever a search was held, there was never any evidence found to pan them as guilty. Again, Nico knew they would never lead back to himself, because neither was the actual source, a supplier from outside the city. But the paint was a different story. It was the only substance from the crime scene that matched with almost a dozen different retailers and it was the only substance Nico had bought in Olympus City. Like the drugstores, the specific store Nico had bought it from was near the far end of town, near the city’s cemetery, where there was far less urbanization, and consequently, less inhabitants. The area was more or less filled with abandoned buildings and empty factories, except for a few old buildings where a fair amount of citizens lived; an unfortunate byproduct of Kronos’ death: his gentrification plans were dropped in preference of rebuilding the heart of Olympus City, a way for the citizens to move on from the Titanomachy Killings and bid their negative feelings farewell.

Nico scowled at the memory. It was one of the very few flaws in his original plan. The gentrification plan was arguably the only half decent proposition Kronos ever proposed to the council. Out of all Kronos’ plans, it was the only one that was willing to consider factors outside Kronos’ own personal gain via economy and reputation. Nico had hoped that when Kronos died, the city would continue to acknowledge the importance of this plan, but instead, they focused their efforts to create a new and improved technology based center in the only region of the city that was never broken to begin with.

It was infuriating, but it was only a mere disturbance in Nico’s plans. Nothing was going to get in the way of Nico’s plans for change.

As if on cue, the second Nico found a closing statement to his inner monologue, his phone dinged. It was a message from Will.

When Nico decided to give Will a chance the night before, he had unknowingly walked into a on and off conversation that lasted for hours. Being as vulnerable and drunk as he was, matched with Will’s outgoing and open self, Nico opened up to Will far more than he would like to admit. There was no way Nico in Hades that Nico would confess to Jason that Will considered him a friend, warranting good morning messages. Nico would rather turn himself in as the Ghost King before willingly and publicly agreeing that Jason was right and he was wrong.

Will: So, how’s your day going? [10:34 AM]  
Will: Judging from how Lou Ellen practically ran to the station today for a story, I’m guessing you have a lot of work. [10:34 AM]  
Will: Lou Ellen’s my best friend and a reporter btw. [10:35 AM]

So, he doesn’t know about Bryce Lawrence? Or the Ghost King? Nico thought as a sent back a reply...or two...

Nico: It is pretty busy here. [10:37 AM]  
Nico: Reyna (chief of police aka my boss) and the detectives have their hands tied on this one case. [10:37 AM]  
Nico: I’m not busy though. [10:38 AM]  
Nico: Being a medical examiner has its perks. [10:38 AM]

Nico decided not to burst Will’s little escapist bubble by telling him about the uproar Olympus City was going through thanks to the return of the Ghost King and Bryce Lawrence’s death. Maybe it was because Nico just wanted to talk to someone who wasn’t preoccupied thinking about the case. Or, maybe it was because Nico knew that if Will knew about the Ghost King, like everyone else, he would try to figure out who it was too and while Will might still be a stranger/friend to Nico, Will was the last person Nico wanted to find out about him being the Ghost King. Will was Nico’s chance to start over. Nico could reinvent himself; Will didn’t know the Nico that Jason or Percy knew. He could decide who he was and he wasn’t going to let that go so easily.

Will: Oh? [10:40 AM]  
Will: Something tells me that the perks you are referring to aren't discounts… [10:41 AM]

Nico rolled his eyes.

Nico: More like I barely get any work. [10:41 AM]  
Nico: It’s not everyday that someone dies from murder in Olympus City. [10:42 AM]  
Nico: I don’t know why I even bother to show up. [10:42 AM]  
Nico: I genuinely get paid for doing nothing. [10:42 AM]  
Will: I say this in the nicest way possible: [10:42 AM]  
Will: Fuck you. [10:43 AM]

Nico laughed and then did a double take at his phone, torn between admitting that he found Will funny and scowling in shock that someone had the guts to tell him, Nico di Angelo, the Ghost King, to fuck off.

Needless to say, Nico was intrigued.

Nico: LOL [10:44 AM]  
Will: I can’t believe you only have to work when someone dies. [10:44 AM]  
Will: Olympus City has one of the lowest crime rates in the country. [10:44 AM]  
Will: Have you seen the stats? [10:44 AM]  
Will: Nobody commits murder in Olympus City! [10:45 AM]  
Will: How do you even have a job? [10:45 AM]  
Will: Omg. [10:45 AM]  
Nico: Hey! [10:46 AM]  
Nico: Don’t mock my work! [10:46 AM]  
Nico: If I didn’t have a job as the M.E., the station would be out of service. [10:46 AM]  
Nico: I don’t even know why you’re complaining. [10:46 AM]  
Will: ?? [10:47 M]  
Nico: Don’t writers get to pick their own hours? [10:47 AM]  
Will: ...is lack of inspiration and procrastination a valid excuse? [10:48 AM]  
Nico: No! [10:48 AM]  
WIll: :( [10:49 AM]  
Nico: That’s right. [10:49 AM]  
Nico: Stay sad and think about what you’ve done. [10:49 AM]  
WIll: You’re so mean. [10:50 AM]  
WIll: This is why you’re using this app instead of socializing with your friends irl. :/ [10:50 AM]  
Nico: I’m going to ignore that comment. [10:50 AM]  
Nico: You should too, if you value your life. [10:51 AM]  
WIll: Why? Are you going to punish me? :0 [10:51 AM]  
Nico: No, you kinky little shit. [10:52 AM]  
Nico: I’d explain what I meant, but I’ve got to go, so I’ll let your imagination decide for you. Jason (aka detective and pain in my ass) is knocking on my door. [10:52 AM]  
Nico: See you later, Solace. [10:53 AM]  
Will: Ah, if you can catch me. Who knows? I am pretty busy. Think you can keep up, di Angelo? [10:53 AM]  
Nico: Go write your novel, dumbass. [10:54 AM]

“What do you want, Jason?” Nico asked, setting his phone down on the table.

“The database results. Were you talking to the guy from the dating app?” Jason asked as Nico handed him the piece of paper with the various locations scribbled on it.

“None of your business. You got what you came here for, you can leave now.” When Jason didn’t immediately turn back towards the door, Nico crossed his arms over his chest.

“Frank’s not going to be here on Friday, so to make up for lost time, I suggested that you accompany me to the locations instead so Frank and Reyna can work the circumstances of the case and return to the crime scene.”

Nico scowled. “Can’t you go alone? It doesn’t take four people to re-investigate a crime scene that’s already been marked and visit a few dozen locations on the other side of town.”

“As usual, you’ve forgotten about the buddy rule. After the Titanomachy Killings, it was established that while investigating a case on the field, you cannot be alone. It’s just a safety precaution to make sure nothing happens to our officers,” Jason said, picking up Nico’s jacket from the coat rack before throwing it at Nico with no warning.

“Why would the Titanomachy Killings influence the buddy rule? No officer died.” Despite his protests, Nico put on the jacket, shoved his phone into his pocket, and followed Jason out of the office.

“Better safe than sorry, but if you have a problem with it, I suggest you take it up with Reyna. Now, where should we go first?”

“Phoenix’s Department Store.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering why it's called the "Titanomachy Killings," it's because the Titan Wars are referred to as Titanomachy (https://riordan.fandom.com/wiki/Second_Titan_War) and I thought it sounded cooler than the "Titan Killings."


	3. The OCPD Continues to Investigate Leads on the Ghost King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico and Jason follow up on the potential evidence origins/distributers. Will works on his book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I have a couple of things to say:  
> 1) I literally forgot that this fic existed oops that’s why this update is late.  
> 2) I think this is kind of a filler chapter (sorry).  
> 3) Let’s ignore the fact that I have no idea how to write investigations and just accept the first half of this chapter for what it is.

Phoenix’s Department Store was the biggest warehouse based inventory in Olympus City. They sold everything from clothing to kitchen appliances to toys and books, the list goes on. If Nico hadn’t known where the knife came from, like Jason, he’d think this was going to be a piece of cake. 

“Hi. I’m detective Grace and this is my partner, medical examiner di Angelo. As you must have heard, Bryce Lawrence was murdered. The murder weapon was identified to be a knife. We cross referenced the dynamics of the knife and this is the only retailer in the city that was listed as a match. We were wondering if you could give us any information about the knives you sell and any customers who purchased these products in the last month or so,” Jason said to the cashier at the register who gave him a bored look as he showed her his OCPD badge. 

Nico set down a piece of paper with an educated sketch of the knife with the determined dimensions. The cashier picked up the paper, popping the bright pink bubble in her mouth as she continued to chew gum. With the drawing in one hand, she pressed a few buttons on the keyboard of her service computer by the register. 

“This is the most common type of knife. It matches almost every collection of kitchen and knife utensils,” she said in a dull tone. 

“Is there any way you can isolate a list of customers who bought a knife?” Jason asked. The lady stared at him for a while before reluctantly fulfilling the request. After she pressed another set of buttons, Jason and Nico could hear the loud sound of a printer from under the counter. Nico assumed that on the cashier’s side, the counter had a set of shelves for storage purposes. 

“Here.” She pulled a few pieces of receipt paper from the printer and set it on the counter. Both Jason and Nico made a grab for it, but Jason was no match for Nico’s speed. 

“I don’t recognize any of these people,” Nico said. 

“There’s Annabeth,” Jason pointed at a name on the piece of paper, reading over Nico’s shoulder. “She bought a knife because Percy and her just moved into a new house.” 

“Well, that’s one suspect down and,” Nico flipped to the last page, “nine more to go.” 

Jason frowned. “How could it be a regular citizen? There’s no way they would know about the schematics of Bryce Lawrence’s house and be able to murder him without being caught on camera. Not to mention the knowledge they would need to have been capable of the Titanomachy Killings.”

“I think you’re focusing on the wrong question. It’s not how, it’s why: why would it be a regular citizen? Have you ever stopped to think about how normal, everyday citizens feel about Kronos or Gaea? They’re not known as controversial for nothing. Half of Olympus City hates them and would honestly do anything to get rid of them. The other half is just brainwashed and blinded by the stupid, empty promises and illusions that Kronos and Gaea feed them. Detectives are supposed to be smart and understand the psychology behind people, not underestimate them. There’s nothing people can’t do if they’re motivated and fueled by enough emotions. If you want to solve this crime, you have to get your shit together, Jason.” 

If Jason was surprised by Nico’s sudden outburst, he did a good job of hiding it. “Yeah, you’re right, but there’s no way we can afford to question every single person who bought a knife. We haven’t even gotten to the rohypnol or the paint yet,” Jason sighed. 

Nico looked at him. “I hope you wore your walking shoes, because you’re going to need them.” 

—

After looking into the whereabouts of the nine customers, Nico and Jason created a route that began at the department store and ended at the location of one of the drugstores that matched the rohypnol searches. While it was a circular path, it was the most convenient as well as the only option that didn’t leave Nico feeling like they were just marching back and forth between the heart of the city and the edge of the border. 

The first customer lived a few blocks away from Phoenix’s Department Store. It was a brick apartment building colored the same cinnamon shade as the warehouse. Contrary to its unappealing and almost offensive exterior, the inside was the same as any other residential building in the city, aside from those in the run-down regions. It was spacious and ornate, sporting the same modernistic style as the renowned Mount Olympus, which was expected seeing how Annabeth was the architect in charge of redesigning Olympus City after the Titanomachy Killings. 

Mount Olympus was the tallest skyscraper in the city. It was known for being the official residence of Olympus City’s Senators. It sported a mixture of neoclassical and modern architecture styles, referencing popular buildings in Greece, such as the Maximos Mansion, the Presidential Palace, and even the Partheneon (no surprise there). The building’s exterior was fashioned to mimic Greece’s architecture, creating a sense of uniqueness as it was the only building in the city to do so. The building’s interior, on the other hand, was more sophisticated and minimalistic, utilizing neutral colors, chic sculptures depicting the Greek gods, off-white walls, sleek, black, metal gilt tables, and genuine leather sofas. Only the first few floors were open to the public as the middle region was closed off to official Olympus City government employees and the height of the skyscraper was designed to fit a three, maybe four (Nico wasn’t so sure; he had only seen the lobby of the building when Annabeth had thrown an opening party the day the kinks of the building were ready and open for business) floor penthouse for the Senator and his immediate family. 

Currently, Mount Olympus was the home of Senator Zeus and his wife, Hera. Zeus had been Senator for almost twelve years, with this year marking the end of his second term. Like twice before, Senator Zeus was running in this year's Senator election as the primary candidate for the Olympian party, one of the two major political parties in Olympus City’s history. (The other party was the Titans, run by Kronos, but after the Titanomachy Killings, the party rebranded as the Giants, led by Gaea.)

“Well, here goes nothing.” Jason knocked on the apartment door. After a few seconds, the door flung open revealing a little boy. 

“Who’re you? Another set of Steve's lackeys? If you don’t leave right now, I’m going to scream and call the cops!” the boy stated, giving Jason and Nico a look that screamed hero complex. 

Nico turned to Jason, mouthing “who’s Steve?” 

Jason only shrugged and cleared his throat. “Um, hi. I’m detective Grace,” Jason showed the kid his very legit badge that was gold plated and everything, “and this is my partner, di Angelo,” Jason gestured towards Nico. “Is your guardian home?” 

The boy eyed Jason up and down. “Mom!” he hollered, looking back into his apartment. Soon, an older, female version of the boy came to the door. 

“Hi. Can I help you? I’m sorry if my son was giving you any trouble,” she gave the boy a look and gently nudged him to go to his room. “Please, come inside.” Nico and Jason followed her into the apartment, settling down in the cozy dining room. 

“Who’s Steve?” Nico blurted out. 

Jason looked offended. “Dude!” 

The lady laughed. “No, it’s fine. Steve is my annoying ex-boyfriend who won’t leave me alone, but he’s harmless; it’s no big deal. So, what can I do for you, detective?”

Jason told her about how the investigation of Bryce Lawrence’s death led to an inquiry regarding the murder weapon and other aspects of evidence found at the crime scene. He explained how a possible origin of the knife was a set of products from Phoenix’s Department Store and that it was his job to question any customers involved with said products. 

“I’m sorry about this, but I need to take that knife back with me; it’s protocol. I hope you have another knife,” Jason said, making an attempt to ease the mood. 

“Of course.” The lady stepped out of the room and into what Nico assumed was the kitchen, only to return a few moments later with a knife. Jason held out a plastic bag that was marked with the bold red words EVIDENCE and the lady slipped the knife in smoothly. 

Following standard procedure, Jason began to question her about what she was doing the night of Bryce Lawrence’s death and such, but Nico didn’t think it was necessary to pay attention, so he let his mind wander off. 

When Jason was finished and the lady whose name Nico did know because he stopped paying attention way too early escorted them out of her apartment, Nico was glad that Jason was too lost in his thoughts to engage in conversation with Nico; he would’ve gotten scolded and lectured had Jason found out that he hadn’t heard a single word the lady had said. 

-

“No, no, no. That’s not right,” Will muttered as he repeatedly jabbed the backspace button. 

He flicked over to the next tab, skimming through thousands of words that supposedly described chocolate in attempts to find a cool, sophisticated, and fitting description that would wrap up his favorite scene thus far perfectly. This was the scene, the one that would either make or break his life’s work. It didn’t matter if Will had to spend the next three hours flipping through every single synonym he could find. He had to find the right word. 

When he finally crafted a description that he was satisfied with, Will felt the weight of his shoulders relax, and his mood quickly changed into one of excitement as realization dawned on him. He had finally reached the middle portion of his book, where everything was supposed to turn into a shit show. 

It’s not that the first part wasn’t exciting, but it was more tame than the plot he had outlined for the next part of the novel. Up until this point, the main character had only dabbled here and there in his hobbies, not really aware of the extent of his capabilities. Although it made for a lot of boring chapters that were set up to taunt the character psychologically in order to push him past his breaking point, Will knew it was necessary if he wanted a solid character arc. His character couldn’t evolve into his more badass, capable persona overnight; it just wasn’t realistic. Regardless, the hard part was over now. It was all fun and games from here on. Say goodbye to basic worldbuilding and “setting up the story” chapters and hello to Will’s new and improved character, Remington, who was just about ready to end it all and light the city on fire; the law be damned. 

Feeling motivated by the completion of the beginning of his novel and full of adrenaline knowing he was on a roll, having written almost three thousand words today alone, Will opened a new tab and pulled open one of his favorite books. He skimmed through a few scenes that had caught his eye when he first read them. He wanted to see how the author portrayed a change in the characters’ natures and how they progressed the story in a meaningful yet suspenseful way. 

He knew that his two-in-one manager and best friend, Cecil, wouldn’t approve of him finding inspiration in other books (“You never know what will resonate with you and lead to accidentally culminating the ideas from other authors or even plagiarism. Better safe than sorry, Will.”), but Will wasn’t exactly scared of Cecil and his threats. Besides, he had done this loads of times and Cecil had yet to catch him red handed. This time wouldn’t be any different from the others. 

Setting those thoughts aside, Will began to read his favorite scene. 

-

Nico wished that someone, anyone, would’ve told him that a boy yelling about his mother’s ex-boyfriend was going to be the highlight of his day this morning, because, god, were the unofficial interrogations of the remaining eight customers an absolute bore. Nico sat in a daze in each questioning as Jason fired on, pushing his brain harder and harder, trying to pull out even the tiniest of nonexistent clues out of each prospecting suspect. The only thing Nico remembered for certain was the fact that he had to fake cough a few times in order to cover his inevitable laughter from watching Jason grow more furious by the minute and attempt to pull shit out of thin air. It’s not Nico’s fault that Jason looked him dead in the eye and said “I think that girl is hiding something; maybe her parents killed Bryce Lawrence and she’s an accomplice!” in a serious tone as a seven year old girl cowered behind her parents during Nico and Jason’s visit. 

“We may have learned absolutely nothing about the knife, but the rohypnol could be another story. We should go check out the drugstores,” Jason said, in a rushed voice. “Who knows when the Ghost King will strike again.” 

Nico rolled his eyes. “Why the fuck are you such a workaholic? We should eat lunch and then resume our impossible mission of tracking down the Titanomachy Killer,” Nico said, dragging Jason by the arm to the nearest street food vendor. 

They ended up ordering gyros from a Greek vendor across the street and, to both Nico’s surprise and delight, it effectively shut Jason up as if it was the key to resetting the detective back to his good natured and carefree self. Nico made a mental note to thank the gods for the invention of gyros the next time someone drags him someplace even remotely religious. 

“Are you sure there’s only two possible origins for the rohypnol in Olympus City,” Jason asked in between bites, staring at the piece of paper that listed two addresses under the ROHYPNOL column.

“Well, rohypnol isn’t exactly your everyday drug that you can buy at your local pharmacy. These are the only locations that we suspect sell it. I’m sure there are dozens of other sellers, not to mention the possibility of bringing it in from outside the city,” Nico said. 

“Damn. This case just gets worse and worse, huh?” 

“There’s a reason why the Ghost King still hasn’t been apprehended,” Nico said, bringing a napkin to his mouth to wipe a nonexistent stain as he tried to cover the stupid smirk that he knew was on his face. 

“Yeah, you’re right, but I’m not going to let him slip out of my hands this time. Olympus City cannot afford another Titanomachy Killing; we haven’t even recovered from the last one yet. This election is supposed to be the start of a new age, not another dark age.” 

“I know, but this case is just going to leave you, me, and everyone else at the OCPD running around in circles; we have absolutely no idea what kind of suspect we’re looking for here, our so-called evidence has no direct link to any source. Even though we have a list of possible origins, that’s all they are: possible origins. Besides, it’s not like these next locations are going to openly admit to buying and distributing illegal drugs. Plus, there’s no way a judge is going to grant us a warrant without any hard evidence.” 

Jason groaned. “Would it kill you to have some faith? We’ll never catch the Ghost King if you keep up that attitude, Nico.” 

“I’m just telling you how it is.” 

“Detectives don’t solve cases by being realistic; they solve them through hard work and perseverance.” 

“Which is exactly why I choose to be a medical examiner.” 

“Shut up. You and I both know that that wasn’t the real reason as to why you become an ME.” 

Nico stared at the ground. “Whatever, Grace.”

“You could’ve been such a great detective. You know that, right? You had it all: the grades, the skills, the determination, everything. You were the perfect student.” 

Nico scowled. “So what? It’s my life. Can’t you just leave me be for once in your goddamn life? First you make it your job to take care of me, then you meddle with my love life, and now you’re patronizing my choice of career? I’m not a little kid that needs your help anymore, Jason.” 

Jason opened his mouth and then closed it. 

“Let’s just go to the other locations and get this over with,” Nico said after a long moment of silence. 

-

They didn’t learn anything from the drugstores or the paint retailers. Not that Nico was surprised; unlike Jason, who was holding on to what little hope he had here and there, Nico knew for a fact that all these locations were nothing but a wild goose chase, means to an end, a dead end. While it was exhausting to travel throughout the city just for Jason to turn up with no progress to show Reyna, Nico knew it was necessary. If Nico hadn’t deliberately planted evidence at the crime scene, the investigation would’ve been impossible to solve, pushing everyone from the regular, everyday citizens of Olympus City to the OCPD officers and politicians into total despair. That would’ve been an effective method to accomplish Nico’s main objective, giving Nico an advantage, but it wouldn’t have been fair or anywhere near as satisfying as Nico wanted; it would’ve been a sign of mercy for all the criminals in the city. Whenever criminals commit crimes, they never make it easy: they always try to be deceitful, they always taunt their victims, torture them even, instill fear in the general public, and so on. To simply kill criminals completely anonymously would be finishing things quickly, quietly, and without a second thought, which, for better or for worse, was the exact opposite of what Nico wanted. Instead of fulfilling his goals behind the scenes with minimized press and police involvement, Nico was going to make a show of it. He was going to do exactly what he did six years ago: give the criminals a sense of false hope of having a chance of being spared, through falsely planted evidence, when, in reality, it would just be Nico’s way of toying with said criminals and the so-called “justice” system, the OCPD: Olympus City’s “finest” set of individuals (Nico laughed just thinking about it). In all honesty, they had it coming. It’s not Nico’s fault that they’re politically corrupt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you see Death Note references or anything that could have been inspired by Death Note, no you didn’t ❤️


End file.
